OWNERS of a woodland education centre near Marlborough are being forced to demolish it this week after Wiltshire Council refused to give it planning permission for change of use. Martin Gibson, who owns The Grove Woodland Centre, and team member Mark Norcliffe are heartbroken that the centre which helps youngsters learn through play has had to close after parish council objections about traffic using the narrow country lanes. The parish council objected to the plans without consulting with the wider communtiy. Mr Norcliffe, 43, a volunteer helped build the centre. He said: "I have been told the school must be shut down, taken apart and fully dismantled. I am going to be taking down some of it but it is truly heart-breaking.” We used to have a lot of children who came here from the surrounding area. They were absolutely wonderful, they really enjoyed it here. We had large groups of children come weekly to take part in a range of different activities. We had tree houses, assault courses, play areas and a stage and even birds." The centre, at Thicketts Road, Mildenhall, ran courses offering children and adults the chance to experience forest living, including learning how to make fires using bow drills, build shelters and sleep out under the stars. Up to 70 youngsters a week were enjoying the courses, and a Friday-night adults session was popular with local people. But the centre has had to close after Wiltshire Council ruled the amount of traffic it was causing was a danger to other road users. Mr Gibson said he hoped to re-open the centre in the future if he can resolve the traffic issues with the council. “I have a farm and it has some lovely woodlands in it and I have always wanted to find a way of getting kids to play in the woods. “We came up with an idea of hosting birthday parties and school trips and and it was working out really well. We then applied for planning permission and we got turned down because the traffic impact was severe. All my neighbours objected because they thought there would be too much traffic but if the road is unsuitable then surely something needs to be done? A spokesman for Mildenhall Parish Council said this week: "The Parish Council will be pleased to hear the Woodland Centre will close because the site is unsuitable on account of serious access difficulties." When the application was considered by councillors, the parish council said it supported the principle and aims of the centre but were: "Unanimously opposed to any additional vehicular traffic on the access roads from Mildenhall and Stitchcombe, which are already causing anxiety to local residents and users of the newly-refurbished playpark. Their experience has convinced them that additional traffic on these lanes is dangerous and against the spirit of the woodland adventure." This is such sad and devastating news for the community of Marlborough, surrounding areas and the staff who've worked with so so hard with bare hands and very little resources to develop this fantastic forest school and community woodland at Grove Farm. On taking a gentle amble through the beautiful copse, listening to the birds, spotting the occasional, nuthatch, deer and muntjac, the level of passion, commitment and dedication that's been invested in developing such a striking and well needed facility is evident to see. In recent years this centre has grown with the natural surroundings, evolve and flourish in synergy with nature and complimenting the beautiful landscape at Grove Farm. The facility has attracted local visitors of all ages together with people from further afield, all of whom are astounded at it's beauty and amazed at the low impact structures that have been built sympathetically in partnership with nature. The woodland copse at Grove Farm is regarded as a fine example and beacon of good practice of what can be achieved with very little but the resources and building materials provided by nature on the site on which it stands. Mark Norcliffe has designed and built all the structures by his own hand, without the use of mains electricity or power tools, with very little in terms of finances and using only materials kindly provided by nature. The magnificence of not only the structures, but paths and walkways developed at Grove Farm are testament to his passion and commitment to work sensitively with nature and provide a facility where people of all ages and backgrounds can play, learn about nature and share skills from one another in a beautiful safe environment. The 3 core staff of Builder, Falconer and Forest School Instructor have worked with dedication, blood sweat and tears to develop this fantastic sanctuary that is a centre for learning and play for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. It is deplorable that non sensical NIMBYism prevails when such community facilities are so desperately needed for children and adults alike. It's true what they say "You don't know what you've got 'till it's gone". SAVE GROVE FARM COMMUNITY WOODLAND

We need far more spaces for bees to breed and forage - instead of destroying their habi­tats, how about some serious Millbrook bee care! Many in our community take joy in the grasses, wild flowers and wildlife that are increasing here by the year. Red clover, self heal, violets, kidney vetch, cow parsley, silverweed, forget-me-nots, buttercups, daisys, dandelions and even cuckoo flower (lady’s smock) love the dampish grasses along the fence line! Leaving it un-cut does not cause obstruction with sight-line to traffic, dogs must be on leads here, so no dog mess and I've never seen it with any rubbish! What I do see is a fantastic educational resource for our children, a place of bees, butterflies and sloe worms - and a big buzzard that lives in the trees above! DON'T DESTROY THEIR HABITAT!

Over the last 30-odd years, 101 has helped so many children, in an area where playgroups (as opposed to private nurseries) are rare. The fees are affordable and the atmosphere calm and caring. 101 helps children learn valuable social skills, making for a smooth transition to school. If 101 cannot continue, there are very few alternatives in the Crouch End area for parents who want a playgroup and not full-time child care.

It is important because it gives students confidence about what is going to happen after school. These lessons will help students in emergency situations. Also it will improve their communication skills and boost their confidence.

Babcock International is a weapon manufacturer operating around the globe. They are also contracted by Devon County Council to monitor and produce reports on school attendance. After ten sessions (five days) of "unauthorised absence" they send this letter threatening a fine of up to £2500 and/or three months in prison. The letter is sent to hundreds of parents each year, causing disproportionate distress for what, in many cases, is a single case of illness or forgetting to inform the school in time. Children become worried that their mum or dad might go to prison. Parents worry their children might be taken into care, that they might lose their jobs, businesses, dignity and freedom. The threat, and potential fine and imprisonment, disproportionately affects single parents and poor people, who are less able to pay a Fixed Penalty Notice within 21 days (after which it doubles). I have personally supported a single mum who was working full time, raising two children, starting a business and having to comfort her children who thought that Mum was going to prison. Babcock's business is in fear, not in children's education.

The government have raised the stakes of SATs so high that poor results spell disaster for primary schools. As a result, even in Year 1 - at age five - our children spend more time practising handwriting than painting pictures, because then they'll be ready for the SATs prep they'll have to endure in Year 2. There are no rules that limit the number of hours children can spend on SATs-focused maths and literacy in school, and teachers are telling us their pupils often spend entire weeks doing not much else. Our children aren't happy at school anymore, and neither are their teachers. It is a sorry state of affairs when parents have to fight for their children's right to play, but that is what we must now do. If the government want to test our children's maths and literacy ability, their tests must reflect the level our children can be expected to achieve if they work on these subjects for a reasonable amount of time each day. If the level of difficulty of the current tests requires our kids to spend all day every day doing nothing but exam preparation, then the tests are too hard.

Halstow, Deansfield and the other Compass Group schools are in the process of becoming a Multi Academy Trust. We were told by the governors that the main reason for conversion to a Multi Academy Trust was to act before we were forced to do so by the government. After significant pressure from teachers, parents and MPs, the government have made a u-turn and confirmed that they will not be forcing outstanding schools to become academies. We were told that conversion would take many months and that we would be kept informed. We now know that the application has been approved by the DfE already and we are a small step away from the irreversible signing of the funding agreement. The government is not going to force our outstanding community schools to academise. Becoming an academy is irreversible. We must halt the academy application, at least until a thorough and transparent investigation of the impact of the proposals on our schools has been undertaken and shared with parents, staff and the wider community.

1: The role the school will play seems to be very much the lead school in the partnership with, as of yet, unnamed schools. While we are sure the intention will be to fully carry out due diligence and fact finding before adding schools to the MAT, we are not convinced that the lead school's children benefit from this process. The desire to add to the MAT's portfolio can often mean that risks are taken and the weight of the risk weighs on the sponsor school, meaning staff are diverted to resolve these. The standard of education our children receive is very high and we are not convinced that diverting resources to improve another school will allow that to continue. We also believe that, when a MAT takes over a school, if it is not able to fully devote specialist help to that school, the effect on its children can actually be a worsening rather than an improving one. 2: The need to develop and employ centralised support services will be another area that could mean that staffing costs for the centralised provision are actually quite high. Professional services such as HR would be needed and these are very expensive. We do not feel that this is money well spent if these services can be ably handled at the LEA level. 3: The cost of ground maintenance and improvements has been met by the tax payer recently. While there is not a plan in place to expand, we feel that our children now have a fantastic learning environment. We are aware that a lot of schools in the area do not have this. We are not happy to think of this tax payers money being transferred into the assets of a private entity without elected accountability. The current white paper suggests that parental representation on governing bodies will not be required. This would be a significant worry as we feel that in any new structure there MUST be some active community and parental involvement. 4: The success of MATs over all is very questionable if current evidence is to be believed. The fact that children at NBS progress well is down to the local team working hard. Being a MAT brings no benefit to this situation, and we feel could actually detract from it. The school already works with partner schools to share best practice and develop new ideas. The school already takes part in local and county events and competitions and the school already supports the community. We do not see how being a MAT will improve this, and from evidence seen when secondary schools are taken over, it can actually reduce this.

No two schools are alike. But the government doesn’t seem to agree. It wants to rush through plans to force every single school in England to become an academy – the type of school paid for by taxpayers, but run by businesses, sponsors or trusts. Many teachers and parents are already standing against the plans, saying that they’re ‘a step towards privatisation’, ignore local views, and could force some schools to close. One size does not fit all, and local parents and teachers should have a say in the future of our school. ------ If this isn't your local school, click here to sign your local petition, or start one if no-one else has yet: https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/start-a-campaign-for-your-school

No two schools are alike. But the government doesn’t seem to agree. It wants to rush through plans to force every single school in England to become an academy – the type of school paid for by taxpayers, but run by businesses, sponsors or trusts. Many teachers and parents are already standing against the plans, saying that they’re ‘a step towards privatisation’, ignore local views, and could force some schools to close. One size does not fit all, and local parents and teachers should have a say in the future of our school. ------ If this isn't your local school, click here to sign your local petition, or start one if no-one else has yet: https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/start-a-campaign-for-your-school

Understand the value of learning life saving skills to young people parents teachers including Drowning Prevention - It's 10 years since I lost my son to Drowning in North Wales on 14 August this year we are holding a huge event in North Wales to help educate and save lives. My son Christopher James David Turnbull drowned August 14 2006 at Capel Curig North Wales aged 15 had everything to live for was an exceptional swimmer and Rugby Player for Colwyn Bay. Since then I've set up www.riverandseasense.com and www.watersafetymap.co.uk I have addressed over 140.000 children in schools and youth groups across the region. If you can support sponsor know a celebrity who can support our wonderful event gratitude is not the word. My email is. [email protected], my name Debbie Anne Turnbull please find on Facebook - On Twitter @debsbarmyarmy

This is important to challenge the claim that children need to pass these tests in order to have successful careers. Other important areas of education, such as the Arts, have to be neglected as teachers are pressured to ' teach to the tests'.